Hezbollah fighters kill Daesh commander near Syria: Report

A notorious commander of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group operating in areas straddling the Syrian-Lebanese border has been killed in an operation by Lebanon’s resistance movement, Hezbollah.

The Lebanese al-Manar TV said Saturday that the commander, identified as Abu Khattab, was killed in an operation in the village of Qaa, northeastern Lebanon.

It said Hezbollah fighters launched an offensive into the hideouts of terrorists in the Zuwaitinah area of Ras Baalbek. A number of other terrorists were also killed in the operation, Manar said, adding that Abu Khattab and his companions were traveling by a vehicle when they were targeted by a guided missile.

Abu Khattab was reportedly the operations chief of Daesh in the area.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary general, vowed Friday that the resistance fighters would work to ensure security in the Bekaa valley, where villages such as Qaa are located.

The Saturday operation was conducted near the site of recent terrorist attacks claimed by Daesh in Qaa.

At least six people were killed and nearly 20 others injured in terrorist explosions in Qaa on June 27. Hezbollah denounced the blasts, saying that some countries and entities in the Middle East and across the world are providing terrorists with covert and overt support. Following the bombing, the Lebanese government declared June 28 as a day of national mourning.

Lebanon has often seen the infiltration of Takfiri elements from neighboring Syria into its territory, where they target the civilian population or security forces with bombings. Hezbollah has repeatedly accused the Israeli regime of supporting militants in Syria, saying Tel Aviv provides assistance to terrorist groups such as Daesh and the al-Nusra Front.